PS3 Oblivion Lacks Downloads, Elder Scrolls MMO Possible

Just a few days after Pete Hines told IGN that the PlayStation 3 SIXAXIS controller's tilt function is completely useless for Oblivion (though they could've used some rumble), Bethesda's VP of public relations and marketing had even more disappointing comments in store for the game's upcoming PS3 version. As I'm sure you know by now, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion already has plenty of downloadable content on the Xbox 360 and PC, including that famed horse armor pack, or additional dungeons and quests. We may not like having to pay for them, but there's no denying that they help prolongue the game's life - and enjoyability - on these platforms.

"Thankfully", we won't have to worry about any of that on the PlayStation 3, because Bethesda hasn't figured out a way to deliver extra downloadable content on Sony's next-gen console. Speaking to MCV, Pete Hines said they weren't given enough information about the PS3's online service, so Oblivion will launch without any extra content on the PS3 next month.

"We plan to support downloadable content on PS3, but we couldn't tell you how or when it will be out, because it's not clear how we're going to do that yet." He added, "You could point to any number of factors for why that is. Although it's impossible to say which is the better between [Xbox Live and PS3 Online], Xbox Live is easier to implement because we've had a much better sense of it at an earlier stage than with PS3."

Oh well, here, have some new screenshots from the PS3 version to ease your suffering.

In a more refreshing Elder Scrolls story that we skipped over last week, Pro-G also conducted an interview with Pete Hines, hinting at an inevitable The Elder Scrolls V sequel, and also at the possibility of a future MMORPG placed in the Elder Scrolls universe. For now, however, it's just that - a vague possibility - because Fallout 3 and (then) TES V come first.

(N.B. Archive text, links removed)